Why the 2018 Buick Enspire Could be the Vehicle that America Wants

Buick unveiled what could the ultimate electric vehicle for American drivers. The 2018 Buick Enspire is an SUV that is all- electric and could go 370 miles on a single charge. The biggest problem is that it is only a concept and debuted in China.

Not Your Father’s Buick

The 2018 Enspire continues Buick’s family of names for its SUVs, like the Enclave, Encore and Envision. The concept contains Buick’s eMotion electric propulsion technology that supposedly will allow the Enspire to go from 0-60 mph in 4 seconds. The amazing figures in the press release are that the 2018 Enspire could get 370 miles on a single charge. That would eliminate range anxiety for virtually any driver anywhere in America.

Buick also claims that the 2018 Enspire would support wireless and fast charging. Buick claims the battery in the concept could be recharged up to 80 percent within just 40 minutes. Again, that would help eliminate any range anxiety even for drivers making a cross country trip.

GM’s CEO Mary Barra promised last year that the company would release 20 electric vehicles within five years. She did not say what types of vehicles they would be or where they would be sold. The 2018 Buick Enspire could easily be one of the vehicles.

Buick is huge in China and it makes sense that they would unveil what could be a “halo” vehicle, there. If the technology really exists for GM to build an SUV that gets 370 miles to a charge, I would have to believe that they would bring it to North America quickly to challenge the Tesla.

High-End Interior

The 2018 Enspire features what Buick calls a “surround skyline” interior theme. The theater-type seating that raises the back seats, gives the impression of a larger and more spacious interior. The theater seating was first unveiled in the Cadillac SRX wagon years ago. By raising the back seating, it helps eliminate the often claustrophobic or closed-in feeling in a smaller back seat area.

Designer gave the Enspire a more dynamic and sculptured look. The concept features high-end finishes like natural wood and microfiber suede. The 2018 Enspire would also have the latest safety and technology features and champions the idea of a 5G super high-speed network.

The Enspire all-electric concept SUV will be on display at Auto China 2018 in Beijing from April 25 to May 4. At this point, Buick isn’t saying if it will actually produce the vehicle, or how much it would cost. However, production costs have gotten so high that automakers rarely produce pie-in-the-sky concepts anymore. Most of the vehicles that they call concepts are actually pre-production vehicles that are fairly far along in the pipeline.

I am surprised that the vehicle carries the model year of 2018. Chevrolet has been unveiling some of its 2019 and 2020 projected models. The fact that the Enspire is called a 2018 model, is the only thing that makes me question if it is a real game changer, ready to hit the streets!